SHOWDETAILS ACCESSORIES Special Edition 2020

“The world has changed and we have changed.” The words of Donatella Versace are the latest of many statements that designers released at the start of the pandemic. After the full-blown crisis in the industry, after the letters and manifestoes expressing intentions to change course, make less and make better, every designer and their brands, has undoubtedly poured feelings and introspection into their latest collections. Some have celebrated the saving power of painting or gardening, some translated the many books they read into their clothes, some rediscovered domestic intimacy and being close to loved ones. Between shows streamed online, video performances, presentationstions on is heard and, yes, conventional catwalk shows, perhaps held in a wheat field, reflections on the post-lockdown world were varied but had some things in common: the…

The post-lockdown period seems to have given us a looser, more fluid and comfortable silhouette alongside a new-found naturalness, a spontaneity to show ourselves as we are. Natacha Ramsay-Levi for Chloé transforms this thinking into a kind of ‘studio subject’, defining new womenswear codes. Her analysis translates into a collection that has many elements of previous ones but is softer, less embellished and more focused on colour. Dresses are long tunics, shirts and slip dresses dotted with lace insets or decorated with light floral motifs. These alternated with loose tops and shirts held at the waist by wide belts and paired with airy skirts and wide trousers. Maria Grazia Chiuri puts it plainly: “We are living in a different way and staying more at home within our intimacy. Our clothes…

We challenge you to find a designer who did not in some way draw inspiration from lockdown. It was inevitable. Each one used the time to look inward and think, for example, about their own idea of freedom at the very moment it was denied. Take Riccardo Tisci at Burberry, who brought his reflections on loneliness and thirst for freedom to the runway. Unsurprisingly, his chosen location was a slightly claustrophobic wood, to which he added an under-the-sea theme that transformed models into half-mermaids/half-fisherwomen (predator or prey?) complete with boots, surfaces trapped in nets, sou’westers and long trenches. At the Palais Royal Isabel Marant showed a club night for happier times, looking to the ’80s as a time of hedonism and freedom. The clothes were all about energy and comfort,…

What else could come out of such a tough time if not a desire for romantic gentleness. A quality that Alberta Ferretti knows well and which she emphatically returned to with her latest collection, after moving away from it in recent seasons. According to the designer, it’s all about“the acceptance of the natural power of femininity”, which came across in fluid slip dresses and lace mini-dresses, alternated with ultra-short skirts and panties with visible bra, or high-necked but very pretty blouses. Blumarine has always been synonymous with romanticism, and newly-appointed creative director Nicola Brognano intends to pursue the same path, even emphasising this very aspect. Flounces, big cloth petals, floral prints, breezy fringes, Swarovski and pastel shades are the complements on mini-dresses and mini-skirts, micro-tops and ultra-low rise trousers –…

“Il mondo è cambiato e noi siamo cambiati”. Le parole di Donatella Versace sono l’ultima delle tante dichiarazioni che i designer hanno rilasciato dallo scoppio della pandemia. Oltre alla conclamata crisi dell’industria, a lettere e manifesti con le migliori intenzioni di cambiare rotta e produrre meno ma meglio, ogni designer, con marchio a seguito, ha senza dubbio riversato nelle ultime collezioni parecchi sentimenti e introspezioni. C’è chi ha celebrato il potere salvifico della pittura e del giardinaggio, chi ha tradotto in visioni stilistiche i tanti libri letti, chi ha riscoperto l’intimità domestica e la vicinanza dei propri cari. Tra sfilate in digitale, video-performance, presentazioni e, sì, anche passerelle tradizionali, magari tra campi di grano, sono andate in scena riflessioni post-quarantena variamente sfaccettate ma con qualche punto in comune: il desiderio…

Il post-quarantena sembra averci regalato una silhouette più allentata, fluida, confortevole, insieme a una ritrovata naturalezza. Una spontaneità nel mostrarsi per come si è che Natacha Ramsay-Levi per Chloé trasforma in una sorta di ‘oggetto di studio’, definendo i nuovi codici del guardaroba femminile. La sua analisi si traduce in una collezione che ha molti elementi delle precedenti ma più morbida, con meno embellishment e un focus sui colori. Gli abiti sono lunghe tuniche, shirt e slip dress attraversati da inserti in pizzo o decorati da leggeri motivi floreali alternati a top e camicie ampie, fermati a volte in vita da maxi-cinture, con gonne ariose e pantaloni larghi. Maria Grazia Chiuri lo dice chiaramente: “Stiamo vivendo in modo diverso, restando più a casa nell’intimità. I nostri vestiti devono riflettere questo…